Sustainable Low-Pressure Hydrogen storage in Confined Gas Hydrates using H2-NG Blends

Objective

Hydrogen is central to Europe’s clean energy strategy, but current storage routes using compressed gas cylinders and cryogenic tanks remain energy intensive, costly, and raise safety concerns. Gas hydrates, crystalline water based solids, offer a dense and inherently safe alternative, yet pure hydrogen gas hydrates require pressures above 135 MPa, far from practical use. This project addresses that limitation through mixed gas hydrate systems where methane moderates formation conditions and propane stabilises the structure II framework, enabling hydrogen incorporation at 10 to 12 MPa. A confined hydrate strategy will be explored using three host families: Activated Carbon, SBA-15, and CMK-3. These porous materials allow systematic evaluation of how pore architecture, surface chemistry, and nanoscale confinement affect hydrate nucleation, cage occupancy, and long term stability. Experiments will be supported by advanced characterisation: neutron diffraction for cage resolved occupancy, inelastic neutron spectroscopy for hydrogen dynamics, along with X-Ray Diffraction and Raman spectroscopy for rapid phase tracking. These datasets will refine thermodynamic models (van der Waals Platteeuw/Chen Guo with confinement corrections) and kinetic models using formulations adapted to mesoporous systems. The fellowship will be hosted at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), providing expertise in confined gas hydrates, porous media, and process modelling. A secondment at the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL, France) will deliver training in neutron methods, from proposal preparation to experiments and data interpretation. The project will generate validated models, a cage specific occupancy map for hydrogen in confined hydrates, and a demonstration of safe storage and release at practical pressures. Beyond advancing hydrate science, it equips the fellow with interdisciplinary expertise and international networks, positioning him for leadership in sustainable hydrogen storage.